Using PowerBuilder Extended Attributes

When designing tables to be used in a PowerBuilder® DataWindow, you can manage the extended attributes which PowerBuilder uses to store application-based information, such as label and heading text for columns, validation rules, display formats, and edit styles.

PowerDesigner supports the modeling of this information through an extension file. To enable the PowerBuilder extensions in your model, select Model > Extensions, click the Import tool, select the PowerBuilder file (on the General Purpose tab), and click OK to attach it.

When this extension file is attached, additional properties for two PowerBuilder system tables (PBCatTbl for tables and PBCatCol for columns) are available on the PowerBuilder tab of tables and columns:

• Generating PowerBuilder Extended Attributes
  You can update the PowerBuilder extended attribute system tables by performing a PowerBuilder extended attribute generation.
• Reverse Engineering PowerBuilder Extended Attributes
  The reverse engineering feature reads the PowerBuilder extended attributes contained in a database and writes them into the appropriate tables and columns in a PDM.